


Justice

by CoolC17



Series: The Six Souls (Undertale) [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, idk I'm pretty sure you know all the previous humans died, major character death(??), so not really I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-09 17:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8904067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoolC17/pseuds/CoolC17
Summary: The story of Sage, a human child bent on justice who falls into the underground before the main story.





	1. Falling

_I feel the blow to my chest knock the wind out of me, leaving me gasping for breath. I can barely make sense of my surroundings, the chaos enveloping my every thought. My attacker no longer has their eyes on me, and has directed their attention to a young pregnant woman at the other side of the room. I try to stand, but everything's a blur. I'm just trying to shout something, anything, when I hear a loud BOOM!_

 

I awake in a cold sweat, grasping my colorful bedsheets desperately, searching for any sense of stability in the rapidly spinning world. I realize moments later, that, no, the world isn't really spinning. It's just my head. I stand up, despite the protests from my aching head and stiff limbs.

 

My eyes quickly adjust to the darkness, and I look around my bedroom, same as always. My old, long-worn racecar bed which I've had since I was a toddler. My ancient wooden dresser which is covered in scratches and carvings, a couple of the metal handles missing from the drawers. A bright red chest containing all of my old toys, which must be gathering dust by now. Lastly, the door to exit my room, my cowboy hat hanging on the doorknob.

 

I pick it up, laying it carefully on my head. If I wanted stability, this is it. This hat is easily the nicest and best thing I own. The pale brown material is fashioned into the style of a cowboy hat. I've had it since I could remember, my parents tell me it was a gift for my third birthday. I've worn it just about every day since then, not giving much thought to the odd stares I get from people in public.

 

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

 

My attention turns to my alarm clock. I hit the button to turn off the alarm before my parents can hear. It went off at the same time I set it to last night. 2 AM.

 

Obviously that usually isn't a reasonable time to get up at, but I've got a plan for tonight. Heading to the corner of my room, I peel the faded carpet from the floor, revealing a loose wooden floorboard. I pick that up as well, and grab its contents. A rusty, fully loaded revolver. I take one look to make sure the safety is on, before shoving it into the back of my jeans.

 

My father wouldn't be very amused to know that I stole one of his old antique guns, but I needed to take one he wouldn't notice was missing. My father is a sheriff, so of course he has a lot more newer model guns locked away in a safe in his office. He never bothered hiding the combination from me, trusting that I wouldn't go snooping around inside of it, especially knowing its contents. I do feel a wave of guilt at betraying my father’s trust, but in my mind, it's necessary.

 

I retrieve one more object from underneath my dresser, a bus ticket. To the closest location I could find to Mt. Ebott.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I wave goodbye to the bus driver, who gives me a peculiar look before driving off. Most likely confused as to why a child would need dropped off in the middle of nowhere at 3 AM. To his credit, he didn't even try to stop me, apparently beyond caring about his passengers as long as they pay him.

 

The mountain, I'll admit, is a bit intimidating, it towers over me, casting a gigantic shadow, blocking the moonlight, for as far as I can see. They say that anybody the climbs the mountain disappears, never to be seen again. I won't fall for such stupidity, however. I don't believe it myths.

 

Surprisingly, I climb the mountain without much difficulty. There are plenty of rocks on the not-very-steep mountainside to grab and step on. I eventually reach the top, feeling proud of myself. I glance back over the edge. Ouch, I think. that's a long drop.

 

I pull out the revolver, which has been securely tucked away in the back of my jeans, and look around for an appropriate area to practice my shooting. I came here because I needed a quiet area where nobody could see or hear me. As to why it's important to have a good shot, well let's just say I can't stand the thought of being so weak and helpless anymore.

 

I spot a roofed cave pretty close to me, and decide it’s perfect. I walk over carefully, watching where I step. Falling from this height would not be good. I enter the cave, and even with the lack of moonlight shining in it I don't miss the giant hole in the center. I can still practice in here, I'll just have to be careful to stay a good distance from that hole.

 

Out of curiosity, however I very carefully walk to the edge, and nudge a rock the size of my fist into it, and listen. I can't even hear it land, which can’t be a good sign. Oh well, as long as I don't fall in I'll be fine.

 

I aim the revolve at a stalagmite emitting from the floor of the cave on the other side of the uncrossable hole. I stare at it, creating the perfect picture in my mind of where the bullet will end up from what angle, and after thinking it through for what feels like minutes, I fire.

 

BOOM!

 

_The cave appears to be melting around me, revealing an all too familiar scenario. To my left there's a man sobbing, his eyes transfixed on the woman beside him, whose brains now decorate the walls. To my right is my mother, pulling desperately trying to get the bindings tying her wrists off. The masked man approaches me, no doubt because of my previous outburst. I can hear my mother's usually pleasant voice screeching wildly, yelling obscenities at the man. The next thing I know the barrel of his gun is pressed against my forehead, his evil, unforgiving eyes staring into my own. BOOM!_

 

What? What happened? Where am I? I'm back in the cave. My hands find their way to my forehead, expecting to feel a bullet sized hole accompanied by fresh blood, but they find none.

 

The dizziness is back, the world is spinning again. I can't find my balance. My hands lose the loose hold I had on my gun, and it goes flying into the giant hole, into oblivion. And soon, so do I.


	2. Meeting Toriel

The first thing that registers in my mind when I awake is the sickly sweet scent that appears to be emitting from….the ground? I open my eyes, and realize I'm lying on a bed of golden flowers. That would explain the smell.

 

The next thing I register is that miraculously, I don't believe I have any injuries. Despite a dull ache in my head, I'm completely fine. I stand up, brushing flower petals off of my clothes, and look up. 

 

Above me I don't see the hole I fell through, like I had expected to. Instead I see what appears to be a shimmering white wall. At least it looks like a wall (or ceiling, I guess), but if it was, how did I fall through it? 

 

I notice something silver and shiny in the bed of flowers. My gun! I scoop it up from the flower bed to examine it. Like me, it doesn't seem damaged from the undoubtedly long fall. I dig around in my pocket for a moment, and find the spare bullets I had the hindsight to collect from my dad’s office. I load up the single empty chamber and position the revolver back into the waist of my jeans.

 

There's only one exit to the room(?) that I'm in, and I have no option but to go through it. It leads a corridor in the cave, a narrow passage through the stone walls. I run my hand against the cool wall, completely expecting the hallway to be empty, which is why I'm started when I hear an odd sound coming from behind me. It's not footsteps, it's too light to be. An animal, maybe. My mind races back to my time in school, and how we learned about all of the vicious predators we've learned to avoid.

 

Quickly I pull out my gun and turn the safety off. Hands shaking, I point the tip of the gun in the general direction of the noise. My ears are unable to hear anything except my heart pounding. My hands are shaking a lot, but maybe if I can aim the gun just-

 

“Hello? Is somebody there?” My heart skips a beat, and I jump. The voice came from the direction I was walking in. I'd say it belongs to a woman, but why would there be a woman down here?

 

“Oh- child! Do not be afraid.” The voice says, and soon a tall figure steps out of the darkness. Whoever it is, she doesn't seem violent, so I warily lower my gun so it points toward the ground and not at her.

 

The first thing I notice about the woman is that she appears to be wearing some sort of costume. Her arms, which are reaching out to me, are entirely covered in grey fur. The tips of her furry fingers end in long claws. I'm assuming it's a costume until I get a good look at her face. Too realistic to be fake- she looks like a goat.

 

The shock is too much, and I'm unable to command my arms to raise the gun again. Instead I manage to take a couple of steps backwards and away from the strange goat woman.

 

“Do not be afraid, child.” She says, crouching down in front of me, but not getting to close. She holds her hand out to me, maybe in a sort of friendly greeting? “My name is Toriel, what's yours?”

 

I surprise myself by answering bravely and truthfully. “Sage.” I answer her, my voice not shaking even a bit. The woman-Toriel considers this a moment before standing again.

 

“Well, Sage,” she begins, smiling in a polite manner. “You're the first human to fall down here for quite a long time.” Wait, so obviously she's not human- but apparently I'm not the first human to fall. What is she? And how many of her are there? I feel a chill go up my spine at the mental picture of thousands of goat people living down here.

 

“Needless to say, I'm sure you're very confused.” She says. That's a bit of an understatement. “Do not worry, I'll tell you all about the underground as I guide you through the catacombs.” I don't actually know what catacombs are, but they don't sound pleasant.

 

She looks like she's about to continue her sentence, until she cuts herself off, her expression changing. “But I must ask, child. Why on earth do you have such a dangerous weapon?” She asks, looking at the gun still in my hands.

 

“I, uh-” I stutter, unsure of how to explain my situation to somebody I've just met.

 

“It's alright Sage, just be careful with it. I don't want you accidentally hurting yourself or anybody else.” She says kindly, and I'm relieved that she's spared me from having to give an explanation.

 

I nod quickly, not wanting her to think I'm interested in harming anybody innocent. She may not be human, sure, but she doesn't seem to have any negative intentions.

 

I only hesitate for a moment before following her into what I'm assuming are the catacombs.


	3. Puzzles

The ruins are, well, not what I expected ruins to look like. Sure, they have the vacant atmosphere and dilapidated architecture, but the pale purple walls take away from any creepy feeling I had about the place.

  
Toriel’s footsteps ahead of me are surprisingly quiet, making my own sound very loud in comparison. I suppose it's because her shoeless, pawed feet are soft on the hard ruin floor. For about a minute now we've been walking down a narrow hallway, her asking several times if I'm absolutely sure I'm not injured.

 

“Where… where are we?” I finally work up enough courage to ask. She said she'd explain everything as we walked through the catacombs, but so far she's just been asking about my well-being.

 

“Well, this is the underground.” She says simply. After a few moments she speaks again. “You see, long ago humans were not the only race on the earth. I do understand that in time and generations your kind has forgotten of our existence.”

 

“Long ago, on the surface, there were humans and monsters. We lived in peace, but eventually we broke into war. The humans had instigated it, though we have never been entirely sure why.” She looks at the ground, her voice getting slightly quieter in what I can only assume is confusion or anger.

 

“The humans sealed us all underground with a magical spell. We have not been able to return to the surface since.” Her voice has risen to a slightly aggressive tone. A moment later she calms down again, turning and smiling at me.

 

“I'm sorry, child. It is not as if that is your fault. I'm sure you can understand monsters’ frustration with human kind, though no living human generations are to blame for the atrocities we have suffered.” I suddenly feel a rush of sympathy for monsters. Had they really done nothing wrong to deserve the violence that humans had showed them?

 

“Oh! We have arrived at the first puzzle.” Toriel beckons me over to a stone marking in the wall. It's old, but I can make out the words.

 

Only the fearless may proceed  
brave ones, foolish ones  
both walk not the middle road

 

I look incomprehensibly at the text, unsure of what ‘puzzle’ she's talking about.

 

“Now. Do you see those buttons over there?” She points a clawed finger to the other side of the room. There's what I assume is meant to be a path, but is really just a small segment of one. There are two large buttons within it. On either side of it, there are also two buttons.

 

“There are certain buttons that you must push in order to open that door. Can you figure out which ones?” I assume that the writing and the puzzle is related, and I begin to piece the solution together.

 

“It says only the fearless can proceed, so that means only they can go through the door? It also says that only they can walk the middle road. I'm guessing that path is meant to be the middle road. So…” I walk over to the buttons and point to the two on the path. “we push those two, right?”

 

Toriel almost seems ecstatic. “Good! You're very smart, child.” Despite the oddness of the situation, I feel a small rush of pride for myself. Cautiously, I step on the two buttons, pushing them into the floor. With a satisfying grunt the door swings open.

 

Toriel steps through the door, beckoning me once again. This room is rather large, with a path going all the way through it. In one place about halfway through the path, there's a small stream with a wooden bridge forming the path over it.

 

“Now, do you see that sign over there?” Toriel asks, pointing at another stone sign on the northern wall. I nod.

 

“That sign is the hint to the puzzle in this room.” She says, and so I walk over to it.

 

**Stay on the path.**

 

I blink, suddenly realizing that I read this off of the path. I quickly jump back to where Toriel is standing, watching me. She lets out a small laugh, and explains that nothing bad will happen if I don't walk on the path, it's simply a hint to the puzzle.

 

The two of us follow the path a bit more. As we're walking, I ask Toriel a question that's been on my mind. “Why are there so many puzzles down here?”

 

She looks taken aback for a moment, as if rooms filled with wall-to-wall puzzles are no rarity. After a moment she composes herself. “Well, right after the war, monsters were afraid that humans would come down here and attack us. And so we started building puzzles everywhere, so that if a human were to come down here, the puzzles would slow them down or trap them.”

 

“However, over the years they became less of a defensive strategy and more of a cultural tradition. A lot of monsters find the puzzles fun.” She smiles down at me. I don't understand why the purpose of the puzzles was only to slow down humans. If they were really concerned about possible human attacks, why not just create death traps? After all, it sounds like humans were the villains of the story…

 

I look to my left. There are two switches on the wall, one with a path leading to it, one without.

 

“Here's the puzzle. Which switch do you flip?” I barely have to think about it. I follow the path, and flip the corresponding switch. I hear a noise, the exit to the room is cleared.

 

Toriel seems happy.


End file.
